Crowder softball splits with Seminole

Wednesday wasn’t a banner day for the Crowder pitching staff, but the Lady ‘Riders still managed to split a pair of games with Seminole State at Lady ‘Riders Field.

Wednesday wasn’t a banner day for the Crowder pitching staff, but the Lady ‘Riders still managed to split a pair of games with Seminole State at Lady ‘Riders Field.

Of the 14 innings played on Wednesday, Seminole State either drew a walk or was hit by a pitch to lead off 10 of those innings. A trio of Crowder pitchers were able to manage the free passes in the first game as they won 5-1, but those mistakes came back to plague them in the nightcap as they fell 14-13.

The big blow in game one came on a two-run homer off the bat off Carson Forge in the bottom of the third inning to make it 3-0, and led 4-0 at the end of the inning. Back-to-back walks led to a Seminole run in the fourth, and a hit-by-pitch to lead off the fifth made it 4-2.

An RBI single in the fifth by Morgan Coleman plated Crowder’s final run, as they survived despite walking eight batters and hitting another. Credit the Lady ‘Riders’ staff, however, for also striking out nine and allowing only two hits in the contest.

Carson Forge led the team with two hits, the homer and a double, and two RBI.

Walks finally caught up to Crowder in game two as Seminole exploded for eight runs in the first inning. The Lady ‘Riders answered, however, as they plated five runs of their own in the bottom of the inning, highlighted by a two-run triple by Payton Appleberry.

After another run by Seminole made it 9-5, the Lady ‘Riders cut it to 9-6 in the second before stealing the lead with five runs in the third to go up 11-9. But walks continued to haunt them as Seminole plated four in the fifth to go back in front, 13-11. Crowder would eventually even it up at 13 on a sacrifice fly by Jessica Neely, but a leadoff walk in the seventh came around to score the go-ahead run for Seminole, making it 14-13.

“Like I told my kids, you can’t give the other team free bases, especially to a leadoff hitter,” Crowder coach Lori Videmschek said. “We hit the ball hard, we hit it right at them, it just came down to the circle today. We didn’t get it done in the circle. Seminole State is a good team, and you’ve really got to be ready when you play them.”

The No. 16 ranked Lady ‘Riders are now 17-8 on the season. If the weather cooperates, they’re scheduled to host Jefferson College for a doubleheader at 2 p.m. Saturday. That will mark one of only three remaining home dates for the Lady ‘Riders softball program for the remainder of the season.